[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by zeal86

Sorry for the late response...I must have missed the notification.

I used an 80 grit nylon wheel to clean it up and knock off the heavier texture...then 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1500. I used a DA where I could from 320 to 600 and finished up the tighter spots by hand. I used abrasive buffing wheels on my rotary tool up to 800 for the nooks and crannies. Took it to 1500 from 800 by hand only.

I didn't want little chunks of the polishing bars making their way into the alternator openings so my final polish was ONLY with Mother's metal polish. I went over each section 4 times...3 with felt wheels and one with a loose cotton wheel. I only used large buffing wheels on the center strip area that I ended up painting red. I used the white and red bars from my Harbor Freight polishing kits. It was easy to get to and the surface was uniform. I covered the alternator openings with blue tape.

The paint is Metal Cast Anodized Red from Dupli-Color...I sprayed it directly over polished metal. During this process, I used 91% alcohol to clean the strip in preparation for paint.

That about covers the process for the alternator. For most other less irregular surfaces...I use buffing bars after sanding then finish with a metal polish.


www.instagram.com/zeal.eightsix

Thank you for the detailed response! Do you have any idea how many hours went into it? I was thinking that you had to take it apart to get it polished this well. There's lots of nooks and crannies.